Eclipse. This famous beer has made it through many bucket lists. FiftyFifty, the brewery behind it, has made its reputation with this Barrel-aged Imperial Stout. What is most interesting about it is the multiple variations you can expect to see each year. Since I’m completely in love with most Imperial Stout brewed with coffee, going with this Sparkly Lavender Wax seemed like the best option.
“This beer is amazing & you should definitely have it once in your life.”
Eclipse Coffee 2017 (Lavender - Sparkly)
Brewed by: FiftyFifty Brewing Co.
Type: Coffee Imperial Stout, Barrel-Aged (Bourbon)
Region: Truckee, California, United States
ABV: 11%
IBU: 75
Hops: N/A
Cereals: N/A
Others: Honey
Appearance: 8/10
This Eclipse is served in a tall brown bottle, sealed with wax, a feature which I find very elegant. As for protective measures, the wax doesn’t add anything more than the metal cap in regards oxidation & evaporation of the beer since it’s permeable to air. Otherwise, the brown tint of the bottle helps prevent light-struck aromas. In the glass, the liquid is very dark & a medium coffee-coloured head forms before quickly turning into a thin beige circle. The lacing is not incredible yet holds on quite well for a barrel-aged beer as does the carbonation.
Nose: 14/15
The nose presented some dominating notes of coffee, more precisely dark roast espresso. Other intense aromas were bitter melted chocolate, fudge, with an intriguing mead character, probably from the fact that it’s brewed with honey. Plenty charred barrel notes such as brown sugar, maple, tobacco, molasses, hints of vanilla came in as well as some dried figs & raisins. The nose is incredibly decadent, while still retaining an interesting complexity with those well-integrated layers of aromas.
Mouth: 14/15
The mouthfeel is quite rich with an intense sweetness fortunately balanced by a mild bitterness, which helps to alleviate the heaviness a little. The texture is a slightly oily or syrupy, mostly due to the sugar & the alcohol. The flavours are practically identical as those perceived on the nose, there are notes of coffee & dark chocolate are all over the place as well as a complex amalgam of bourbon, oak, vanilla, baking spices, brown sugar, caramel & brownies. The conclusion is pretty similar as to the one made on the nose, this is a voluptuous Imperial Stout with intense flavours & a powerful mouthfeel.
Finish: 9/10
A never ending finish with marvellous dessert-like chocolate, dried fruits, fudge & bourbon barrel-aged flavours. The sweetness is again perfectly balanced with the bitterness & ethanol.
Overall: 90/100
This has made its way to the top for a reason. It ticks all the boxes for what to expect of a very well-crafted Barrel-aged Imperial Stout. In order to gain a higher rating, it would need to diverge a little from the big & bold flavours to allow more depth & subtlety. Of course, this is the first Eclipse I’ve yet to try, so maybe more wonders are elsewhere among the other wax colours. This seems to end a bad note, so I’m going to add one last thing. This beer is amazing & you should definitely have it once in your life.
3-word Description:
Decadent, Espresso & Chocolate.
The Reference
More information @fiftyfiftybrewing.com
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